Unfinished Business
by Idea Overflow
Summary: Coraline's story seemed finished when the hand was smashed and thrown down the well, but was throwing the key down too a good idea? The Beldam's back and this time she knows what she's up against Movie/Bookverse T to be safe C/W OC/OC
1. Friends Old and New

Alright, I felt driven to write a Coraline fanfiction when I read an amazing one called "Last Chances" which was written by In the Beginning but, the last update was last year so the chances of it being finished are probably slim to none, which just broke my heart! So I feel compelled to join the action and write one of my own~

I'll be modest, this probably won't be nearly as good as Last Chances or any of the other stories I think as highly of but I'll be trying my best ^ ^;

Also a nice shout out to my Editor the ever wordy, Ghost! Thanks so much for editing

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**Chapter 1: What Summer Brings**

Coraline was sitting on the front porch of the flat, staring out intently as if she were waiting for something. Mel came outside and handed her a cup of lemonade. "Coraline, are you really going to sit outside until they get here? Wouldn't you rather be playing in the garden, or with your little friend and his cat?"

The girl shook her head, making the liquid in her cup slosh. "Nope, when they get here I want to be the first person they see! I've been waiting the whole school year to see them and I won't be leaving this spot until they're here." Mel rolled her eyes and went back inside as her daughter gulped down her drink. She sat back in her seat with a bored sigh and swung her feet.

After what seemed like too long, she gained some company as Cat hopped onto the free space of the wicker long seat and rubbed against her arm. "Hey Cat, good to see you." Coraline smiled, stroking the feline's back. "And if you're here-"

"Hi Coraline!" Wybie said, hopping up the steps right on cue. "Why are you sitting here? This is perfect summer weather for exploring! It's finally warm and all the fog's gone."

Coraline shook her head. "Can't right now, remember how I told you once summer rolls around my friends from Michigan would come visit?"

"Yeah… so they're arriving today?"

Coraline nodded. "And I'm not moving until they get here."

"Mine if I join you? I need to get away from my cousin." Wybie asked, picking up Cat and sitting down in his place.

"Sure… You have a cousin here?"

Wybie nodded. "Yeah, just arrived a few days ago haven't seen her in years and well, let's just say it was more fun to be around her when we were little."

"Annoying?"

"Yeah, she's all girly and drama geeky and I used to be taller than her, now she has to look down to talk to me. Can't forget that it seems to take an hour to talk to her," Wybie groaned, leaning back and adjusting his white t-shirt that was dingy with dirt.

"She never stops talking?"

Wybie ruffled his curly hair. "Sorta, she talks at a snails pace. It's like she's thinking over what she's saying as she says it."

"My Grandma talked like that too, but she was pretty senile." Coraline replied with a smirk.

Wybie and Coraline had a small laugh at the joke before they were interrupted by Wybie ceasing his laughter and sighing. "There she is." He said pointing to a tall, lanky girl in a tank top and short skirt coming up the path.

"That's her?" Coraline whispered to her friend as she returned a wave from his cousin.

Wybie nodded. "Her name's Rebecca."

Rebecca stepped onto the porch and crossed her arms behind her back, shifting her weight to one foot. "My ears… were burning… seems you've been… talking about me." She smiled, her voice filled with a mellow tone. "This must be… Coraline?"

Coraline nodded, a bit surprised. "How do you know my name?"

Rebecca laughed. "The first night I… got here… Wybie talked… all about you." She smiled and nudged her cousin, who rubbed the back of his neck and let out a nervous laugh.

Coraline snickered. "I see, my tales have spread far and wide." She stood up on her seat and struck a confident pose. "Good to know you've heard the stories of Coraline the Greatest Explorer!"

The lanky girl grinned. "I… like her… how old are you?"

Coraline crossed her arms and stepped down proudly. "11!"

"I'm… 13." She smiled. "I'm Rebecca… aspiring musical actress." The girl declared, striking a ballet dancer's pose. "The honor… is mine."

Coraline looked at Wybie with a look that said, "I like her." She looked back to Rebecca and asked, "You here for the summer to see your family?"

"No… moving in with them… house was getting… full renovations… but… burned down after the… workers left for… the night… some kids came in… and lit it up… so we're moving in… because Gramma's house… has plenty of… space." The girl replied, relaxing her ballet pose.

Coraline's smile fell a bit, understanding one reason why Wybie didn't like her so much. This girl paused a lot as she spoke, so she seemed to drone on forever by just saying a few sentences and it was very annoying. "Well, I'm really sorry that happened. I hope no one was hurt and that you didn't lose too much."

Rebecca replied with a wave of her hand, "No one… was hurt and… all our stuff… was in storage… didn't lose a thing."

"Well that was lucky," Coraline smiled, pulling the strap on her overalls back on her shoulder.

Rebecca nodded, sat down on the porch and leaned back. "Why are you… just sitting here… on a perfect… exploration day?"

Coraline stretched her arms and answered, "Waiting for my friends from Michigan, Harry and Marina." Rebecca nodded, and just as she turned back around, a car pulled up and people started getting out.

Almost as soon as the youngest of the group opened the car door, they were dashing up to the porch. "The trolls have arrived!" The boy exclaimed.

The girl skidded to a stop, holding her arms out. "How's our favorite explorer!?"

"Doing even better now that you guys are here!" Coraline grinned, jumping to her feet and hugging her friends. She broke the hug. "Wybie, Rebecca, meet Harry and Marina. Harry, Marina, meet Wybie and his cousin Rebecca."

Wybie smiled. "Hi, Coraline's told me a lot about you both."

"Rebecca's head tilted to the side in a way similar to the way Wybie's often did, and she gave a small wave." She realized she was tilted and straightened up. "Hope you… enjoy your summer… If you know where… to look… it's always interesting… here."

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Plug Time:

Last Chances by In the Beginning

The Boy Next Door by mushi6618

Ashland Academy by PhantomInvader

The Other Coraline by Dottie-Ditto

Buttons by MistressOrchid


	2. The Message

Chapter 1 wasn't really anything beyond showing most of the other characters that will be showing up in the story and for reference Coraline's friends that are coming over for the summer are her photo friends from the movie, I named them after the people they were voiced by and who their designs were based on. They're named Harry Selick and Marina Brosgol.

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**Chapter 2: Peacefulness is a bad sign**

The first few days went well for Coraline and her friends. Coraline's old friends were getting along well with Wybie and his cousin. Rebecca enjoyed talking with Marina, who had enough patience to listen to her when she started to ramble, and Harry was really interested in how Wybie had built his moped. Coraline was very pleased with how well everything was going.

After about two days, the group had decided to gather all the movies they could find and spend the entire day, and as much of the night they could stay awake for, watching them. Which is exactly what they did. At about two AM, the only ones who were still awake were Coraline, Wybie and Rebecca. The trio sat in their night clothes staring at the screen as the last movie they had ended with a roll of the credits.

Rebecca yawned, stretching her arm. "Do we have… any more… movies left?"

Wybie looked through the pile. "That's all of them. Coraline, are there any left that we missed?"

The girl thought for a moment. "I think I have one more under my bed. I'll get it." She got up and climbed the stairs quietly, so as not to wake her parents. She went into her room, which had been greatly changed since she arrived with the walls being painted blue, several posters and photos tacked to the wall, and her toys and dirty clothes shoved into obscure corners to give the illusion of the room being clean.

She knelt down, sifting through the items under her bed, and searched for the movie. "I'm sure there's one under here. I just saw it this morning." She found the elusive movie and picked it up, "At last, I found you!" She stood up and started out of her room as something caught her eye. She paused a moment and turned around, only to be frozen in place by what she saw.

Scratched deep into a blank space on her wall was a message.

_My dear Coraline,_

_When you left, it devastated me so, there's so much quality time we've missed out on. I'm not going to hold the disrespect and rudeness you've paid me concerning my hand, the ghost children, and of course bringing that vermin inside the house, because I'm a forgiving Mother and want nothing more than to see your safe return home to me._

_My dearest Daughter, we have unfinished business, so I'll be waiting for you at home with your friends._

_Love,_

_Your Other Mother_

Coraline's voice was caught in her throat as terror welled up in her chest. She choked out, "N-No, I won… The h-hand was trapped in the well and the k-key was hidden." She slowly backed out of her room, her ears alert for even the tiniest sound that was out of place. When she reached the stairs, she climbed down as quickly and quietly as possible.

When she came down, Wybie looked at her in surprise. "Coraline, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

His friend took him by the arm and pulled him to the hallway. "We need to talk. Rebecca, stay here." Rebecca nodded with a confused look as she scratched her black hair. Coraline turned to her friend and kept her voice low. "She's back, Wybie. She's back!"

"Who?"

"The Beldam, her hand got free and carved a note into my wall. She's back and out for blood!"

Wybie's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. "S-She's back? What are we going to do? We just barely beat her last time!"

"I don't know, she says she's waiting for me… I have no idea what she's planning. Not even the slightest clue," She hugged her arms and looked down to see the Cat sitting at attention by her feet. "You have any ideas?" The Cat blinked, making no movement. "I didn't think so." She sighed, running her hands through her hair.

Wybie rubbed his hands together, thinking. "Are we going to go through and beat her again?"

Coraline looked at him. "We can't just let her get out her and roam the world freely."

"Then I guess there's one thing to do."

Coraline nodded. "Yeah, I'm going through. You stay here and watch the door."

Wybie shook his head. "No way! You can't expect me to just stay here when you're going to head into that world! Unfortunately for you, you spared no detail when you told me and Gramma about your adventure. I know what's waiting for you over there. If you go over there alone she'll get you, and she knows what you're capable of. You'll get killed next time you go over there, and I'm not going to let that happen!"

Coraline stared at her friend, taken aback by his dedication. She thought the situation over a moment and sighed. He was right and she knew it, she needed help this time. "… Let's go." Coraline started out of the hallway and bumped into Rebecca.

Rebecca had her arms crossed and her usually calm air was gone. "Eavesdropping… is a wonderful thing… what are… you two going… to do about… this Other Mother?"

Coraline was rooted to the spot. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about Rebecca, she knew too much to slip past but not enough to believe. There's no way she could believe without seeing the other world anyway, and that wasn't an option. But before she could think of anything, Wybie went up to his cousin and pulled her to the side, speaking with her. He pointed to upstairs, said a few more sentences to her, and the girl's accusatory look disappeared and she began to look worried.

Rebecca went over to Coraline. "If this… is true then… I'm coming." She continued before Coraline could protest. "I'm not letting… my little cousin… and his friend… go in there alone and… possibly get killed… I'm coming whether you like it or not."

Coraline looked at her elder, who had the same determined face as her cousin did, and found no space to protest. "Alright. Both of you, come on." She went to the room where her dead Grandma's uncomfortable furniture was all set up and looked at the small square door.

It was sitting there, waiting for her to go through. She took a deep breath and slowly pulled at the door. She looked to Wybie and Rebecca, a nervous expression on her features. "It's unlocked." Wybie gulped and wrung his hands, Rebecca took a deep breath and pulled her long hair into a high ponytail.

Coraline opened the little door, crawled through, and stood up in the corridor. "Come on, guys. We need to hurry."

Wybie stooped down and followed her actions. "That little door is blocking this big hallway?"

Coraline nodded. She could tell the thing that was very old and very slow was still there waiting. It was watching her and her companions' every move, and it was unsettling. "Hurry, we need to keep moving. We don't know what's lurking here, waiting for us to let our guard down."

Rebecca wrinkled her nose as she stood up, the smell reaching her. "Doesn't… smell quite… right."

Coraline quickly went down the hallway. The walk was short, but the thought of what was on the other side made it feel as if it stretched on for days. Every few seconds, she would cast a glance over her shoulder to make sure that the only two who would ever truly share her burden of the knowledge of this world her were still there.

She reached the door; it was distorted and looked nothing like the entrance did. It was tall, as if it was stretched. The hinges were rusty, and the wood was faded and cracked. Coraline stared at the door before a familiar voice she hadn't heard in awhile said, "Don't just stand there and stare like a fool. Open it up. You heard the Beldam, there's unfinished business to attend to."

Coraline looked down at the Cat standing by her feet. "You're right."

She was about to open the door when the Cat added, "That goes for you two as well! Stop gawking, it's not as if you've never seen a cat before." Coraline turned around to see Wybie and Rebecca staring at the Cat as if he had five heads. She covered her mouth, trying to keep in a laugh at their expressions, but a rather loud snort pushed its way out.

Wybie and his relative looked at Coraline. There was a moment of silence before the trio began chuckling nervously. After just a few moments, Rebecca said, "Wow… what's on the… other side of that… door must be… bad… if we're stalling like… this."

Coraline took a breath, her courage gathering up after the welcomed break in the thick sense of fear that filled the air. "Enough stalling, there's work to do." She grabbed the edge of the door and with all her strength forced the rusty hinges to open. The dingy light of the other world poured into the hallway.

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Chapter 2, this is where the story really starts~


	3. The Baldam

I'd like to thank my reviewers for their kind comments; they never fail to make me smile ^ ^

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**Chapter 3: Trip to the Other World**

Coraline slipped through the door carefully, looking around for the Other Mother. "There's no sign of her yet," The girl whispered as her companions crept in after her. The trio stood together with their backs to the wall, waiting for what would happen next. Coraline held her breath as the clock tilted by the seconds. Five minutes had gone by before something happened.

The lights turned on and the room lit up, revealing what had become of the other world; the furniture was torn and stuffing was falling out, the carpets were dirty, the tables were cracking, faded, the claw feet had shredded past the carpet and were scratching holes into the floor, the wall paper was peeling, and many of the objects had turned to crude children's sketches. Sitting on the love seat was none other than the wretched Beldam herself.

Rebecca's eyes widened at the sight of the witch. "That's her?"

The Beldam stood up. "Welcome back, Coraline. I must say it's so nice that you brought some of your friends to meet me." The woman grinned. The witch looked worse off than Coraline remembered; the monster was even more stretched than before, her pale skin showed stress at the joints, her face and body had discolored patches and large cracks running all over her. "Hello, I'm Coraline's Other Mother. Why don't you all come into the kitchen and have something to eat?"

Rebecca and Wybie looked at Coraline for what their next move should be. Their friend straightened herself up. "We're not hungry; how are you back? How'd you get the key?"

The witch grinned. "Oh Coraline, you should know better than to throw my hand down a well with the key. Who knows if it could put itself back together and climb its way back out."

Coraline's eyes widened. "It was still-?"

"Yes it was, and I was hurt when you left." She picked up a box from the ground. "But we can fix that and you can stay here forever with me. Your friends too, I made sure to prepare for them." She opened the box and took out a spool and needle. "Pick your colors~" She grinned, turning over the box letting hundreds upon hundreds of colorful buttons pour out. "Feel free to pick any colors you like. Make sure they match, though."

Coraline took a deep breath. "Wouldn't you rather play a game?"

"So you can cheat your way back into winners circle?"

"The only cheater here is you; so, you up for a game?"

The Other Mother smiled, but before she could answer, loud crashes and clatters came from the kitchen, causing her to look over her shoulder. "Hmmm… Children, watch them while I see what's wrong." She stomped off as three familiar faces came in.

Rebecca, Marina, and Harry entered the room, all of whom had button eyes. Rebecca stared at her other, confused, baffled and horrified by the sight. Coraline swallowed. "Would it be too much if I asked whose side you're on?"

The other came forward and Other Harry replied. "Don't worry guys, the buttons only hurt for a little while." Other Rebecca and Marina nodded happily.

"Just a little while."

"When it's done you'll get to live here forever. It's a much better deal."

Coraline saw Wybie back up a step and she took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He looked at her with a slightly more confident expression on his face. Coraline looked up at the others, trying to think of how to get past them.

Her thinking became unnecessary when with a loud clang, Other Rebecca fell to the ground, out cold. Another clang took down Other Marina, who had turned to see what happened. Other Harry took a swing at the assailant, landing a blow in his stomach. But the attacker quickly recovered and swung the frying pan he was wielding, landing a blow on Other Harry and making him drop like a ragdoll.

The attacker dropped the pan, grabbed Coraline's hand and gestured for the others to follow as he made a dash out of the room and headed for the front door. As they passed the kitchen, the trio caught a glimpse of what was going on. The Beldam was swinging her claws at a boy with a dull yellow mop of hair. He was using a plastic cutting board to shield himself from her claws. He picked up a pan lid to protect himself from several knives and barbeque forks that were trying to slice and dice him.

Coraline looked to the one who saved her and her friends. The explorer gasped and had to force herself not to shout. "Wybie!… Other Wybie, you're ok. I thought you were dust!" Other Wybie looked back at her and waved his arm, signaling that he'd explain later. He pulled open the door and shoved everyone out as quickly as possible. He looked back into the house a moment before dashing ahead of the trio and running to Spink and Forcible's theater hall.

Other Wybie ran down the aisle and jumped on the stage. He looked around a moment as he pulled the curtain to the back stage open and gestured the three behind it. The trio stood together, unsure what to make of the situation, as the last they had heard, Other Wybie was destroyed. The boy with the dull yellow hair came through the curtain not long after and spoke with Other Wybie before turning around to face the group.

The boy came forward and extended his hand, "I'm Sawyer, one of the few dolls that was able to escape the Witch's control." He lowered his hand when he looked at Rebecca. "You're hurt." He looked at her feet, which were bare, one of which was leaving small smudges of blood where she was walking. "You probably stepped on some glass." He put his hands on her shoulders and made her sit down in a director's chair.

Coraline looked confused. "I've never seen a Sawyer in the real world before. How'd she make you?"

"I'm there in the real world, you just haven't noticed me," He said, wrapping Rebecca's wounded foot with a bit of extra fabric. "But who I am in the real world isn't important. You've probably got a lot of questions."

Coraline nodded. "First, how's Other Wybie back?"

"Easy, just sew the original pieces back together; fill it with sawdust, and instant reanimation a la mode." He tied off the fabric on Rebecca's foot and stood up. "I could finish him completely if I could pick out his voice box, but they really all look alike."

Coraline felt a weight on her chest and pulled her necklace from her shirt, which was a bit of string slipped through the center of the stone with a hole in it. "Maybe this could help." She held it up to her eye to find it working perfectly, despite the time over the summer where it went unused. The world was grey, but her allies were all in complete color. "It still works! Maybe this can help."

Sawyer looked at the stone and titled his head. "If it works, it works."

The Cat, who had disappeared the moment they came through the door, decided to make himself seen again by climbing up Other Wybie's back and perching on his slouch. "Looks like you will finally be able to speak for yourself and tell them everything you know."

Other Wybie grinned and nodded his head.

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Yes I brought Other Wybie back XD


End file.
